by Marisa Pesa
Capital is reputable for its music programs, so it is no surprise to hear that there’s a new pop-rock band on campus: Basic Cable Preachers. Last Tuesday the band performed acoustically and spoke on their upcoming debut album “Ma” on Capital’s radio station WXCU.
Band members include guitarist and lead singer Pat Schlafer, lead guitarist Steve Kainec, and bassist David Butler. As of a couple weeks ago, drummer Andrew Forrai left the band to join the army with aspirations of going to law school. There are no hard feelings amongst the four. Kainec, who is an exceptionally gifted drummer, will act as a stand in drummer for “Ma.”
“Our communication as artists has actually improved a lot,” Schlafer said.
Both juniors and Jazz Studies majors at Capital, Kainec and Butler specialize in guitar and classical piano, respectively.
As for Schlafer, he chose to take a year off − “I swear, I’m not a burn out” − from Capital’s music technology tract to solely focus his efforts on the album. With no label for funding or PR rep to help market the music, Schlafer said the band has never been more tired.
BCP will be recording this weekend in Cleveland at Crushtone Studios, a studio co-owned by Kainec’s cousin. While Schlafer will self-produce the record, they hired Capital grad Jon Schwav from JSR Studios to mix it.
Schlafer spoke highly on the education he received at Capital.
“I’ve studied with a lot of bad ass professors,” Schlafer said.
The band would not label “Ma” as a concept record but as a cohesive collection.
“There’s no fluff,” Schlafer said. “We tried really hard to make every song potent.”
However, like any fresh song is sure to grow on an artist, Schlafer chose their newest “Shut It Down” as one of the special ones.
As to why the band did not choose to record at one of Capital’s on-site studios, Schlafer said that the process takes forever because it’s not a business.
“There are constant distractions,” Schlafer said. “We want to be productive.”
Studio E’s lack of vibes also swayed the band from recording there.
“It’s lit like a grocery store milk aisle,” Steve said.
A transfer student from Akron University, Schlafer met Kainec and Butler at Capital during the spring semester of 2012. The trio instantly became best friends and began “dorm jamming.” Originally, they tried for a folk-rock band and implemented a female singer, Emily Totedo. After their initial stab at a band failed to work out, the three legitimately performed together for the first time in the summer of 2013 at Bexley Main Event, an outdoor community festival held on Capital’s lawn.
“We used the momentum to spearhead into Basic Cable Preachers,” Schlafer said.
Though BCP prides itself for originating from the greater Cleveland area, they are now starting to build a decent fan base in Columbus.
“We’re just trying to make music that’s catchy with integrity, lyrically and sonically,” Schlafer said. “There’s something to be said about a pop song.”
Borrowing off the backside of Schlafer’s first record, Stevie Wonder’s “Music of My Mind,” BCP believes “our music is a gift to the spirit from people who care.”
Both Schlafer and Kainec believe honesty is what makes music timeless and true.
The record will be available for purchase, at the latest, early May at local record stores − Used Kids Records, Spoonful Records and Magnolia Thunderpussy − and online on Bandcamp and iTunes.
While they do not wish to put a time frame on anything, within the next year the band aspires to make blogs, make lists, and above all, build their following.
“We’ve got to make people notice,” Schlafer said. “People are going to laugh until they laugh no more, until they sing along.”
Schlafer alludes to the album’s title having two meanings. As one would expect, “Ma” represents a maternal figure, for the music is “super heartfelt” and includes many references to Schlafer’s mother. Without a second’s hesitation Schlafer said “our parents are our biggest fans.” The album would not have been possible if not for parental funding; the band’s Christmas gift was studio time.
Inspiration for the title “Ma” also came from a video Capital professor Eric Payton played in Schlafer’s class on the concept of Ma. In Japanese culture, the word means “to be without,” specifically applied to Japanese music; it is the sound or the space between the silence.
“The idea floored me,” Schlafer said. “It’s simple, short and kind of beautiful. You gain a lot of knowledge and trust in that silence. With only 10 songs on the album, we were aiming for brevity.”
As of now, the band’s EP titled “Friends, Family, and Significant Others” is free to download on Bandcamp.
BCP is scheduled to perform next at Brothers Drake Meadery on Feb. 28 and at Rumba Café on March 15.
mpesa@capital.edu
